Read this: Harry Meghan s Tabloid Breakup; Disney’s Virus Response; C4 s Free Creativity

Hello and welcome to the media podcast I'm only man on today show Harry and Meghan break up for good with a British tabloid Disney's coronavirus response threatens to damage the location of the mouse and Channel 4 try to advertisers with free use of their creative team has the sunset for good on this Year's Love Island and in the media quiz we play HBO or no would be pressurised landing on the latest big streaming launch.

It's all to come in today's Media podcast returning to the the international magazine Jake counter is here.

Hi Jake about the grim news from Kevin lygo this week.

You reckon we could read between the lines be about to see love Island being axed.

Part of a series of discussions at the TV controllers in the UK having about coronavirus what it's done to the industry and I would say Kevin as delivered the most honest appraisal of playing speaking overview of what is happening at the moment and I mean it's not like you say it's going to be refused entry is it a good thing to see strangers over each other?

That's true.

That's true generator for a TV so it will be a very tough decision.

He hasn't completely so there might happen in the university professor Liz Howell hello, Liz news programs.

If I'm not really have you still got your army of counters looking at the question of female representation or is it literally you now sitting there with the VCR spilling back to everything?

How is the small but perfectly formed on the programs and write down every single person? That's what you do find that certain point and we looked at why that is and I feel the blame lies with the actual figures will have to wait for Monday but it is an impact to forgive the headline of The Story OK well.

I'm finally.

Play guess time cyst on it these days.

Just in case you lose one along the way remotely but what I find guess we have CNS media and entertainment reporter Frank pilato making his Media podcast debut solo Frank not bad.

Thank you.

You're in your parents house.

I'm in currently my mum's addict which is very very interesting last night.

I had to do my first on-air like video and audio and I had a deal from my mum's at work and I asked her to use my mum's makeup so it's a very much and Norman Bates moment for me and I will let you know I think I'm pretty well and I know Mother enjoyed it.

So everything went well for me.

How are you cutting through the press release bullshit when you aren't able to go and meet people face-to-face in work out really going on.

Tell you this is exactly how things are going to go out exactly how things are not going to go to be able to be very upfront and say that a lot of what we're going through right now is somewhat speculative out what the next step is for the movie theatres in the next step for big companies like Disney and we have to really think about you know what is coming next but known as 100-percent sure that's why I said to have reporters and have media people really be able to step up who have been doing this for a long time like myself you can be like who can be very appreciative audience and readers and say you know this is our best guess.

This is our best estimate.

This is what were hearing from sources.

He was what were thinking because this is a game changer in every single way across Media the Academy the whole entire Culture in the world in the press release by just being a good reporter is the short form of it well you talk about what might be happening next for Disney let's start this week by talking.

Happening now because the company has stopped paying more than 100000 employees this week Frank most of those staff are in the States obviously it does Impact the movie businesses across Europe and staff at Disneyland Paris and stuff, but generally there in the USA what is the reaction been there to this announcement.

They are an enormous corporation and they're taking government assistance to socialise laying off staff effects of b3404 major unit 6 media networks which is ABC ESPN on its theme parks consumers less experienced unit which is the parks in merchandising.

It's studio entertainment which is focused on obviously the films like Marvel and Star Wars and its new director consumer, which is Disney plus 22% of that 52% of the revenues of its fiscal Year last year was studio entertainment and parks, which I've just been immensely hobbled by the coronavirus pandemic.

Turn the half of the company's just kind hearted right now and then if you want them showing you know cherry spitting and NFL draught virtually it's not showing NBA playoffs for the Masters or major League Baseball opening day, so has been really humbled by this pandemic as much as you know the rest of the economy and the rest of it's more so than other neural networks like NBC universal and media and media which is my parent company which Sunday 18th Disney has made itself heard from you really impossible, so they had to follow the numbers of everywhere between 40000 and 4 is to the report you're talking about I believe was in Financial Times which is closer to you about 100.

It's somewhere in that range to anyone who's quote job is not necessary at this time and you know the market is socialising the losses and keeping the profits is the activation you know this isn't a company that is short of cash.

They're able to spread around billions to buy fox and lucasfilm tigers earning 900 times what the medium employers.

That's where the angles coming from people are kind of outrage about it as well, but also people are trying to figure out if this is going to come back because piano Disney is a lifestyle brand for many people the same way the Nike apple is also very curious and at the same time.

You know people sitting home right now watching Disney plus and just thinking about you know potentially getting out the house with their kids to go back to you.

So, it's not just in terms of financial cultural connection for many millions of people when it comes to Disney I mean Liz do you think that the Disney sweet of brands and people's attachment to their eyes Now is so strong that in a sense their PR doesn't matter like that like apple.

There.

Are you know there are stories about conditions in the foxconn factories making Apple phones, but it hasn't damage people's relationship with in the west with that brand.

Do you think people does valued so highly that the pr can be put to one side effects on a business.

Managed to get away with that because their affection for them also.

I think it's to do with the structure of the company is divided into groups and which is very different so that's why do you understand the structure of Disney because you report a missed up to you and I mean it is now I believe the executive chairman.

That's his job title is he really running it rather than supposed to be his successor is he still doing there? They have some sort of handover period and eventually retire in The Wings and and Bob Too

Which is a bit of a halo effect around the brand but the hulking physical business theme parks and hotels and lots of people to pay I think Abigail Disney Disney made some good points about all of this she said that she needs to pay the people who make the magic happen and the company must be better.

I think when you got there to the Disney fortune saying that then something wrong results on Tuesday what what are you expecting to I think it must be very eager to see just how deeply the company has been impacted by the coronavirus and I think we're going to see theme parks.

Take a big head.

I think Studios tickets.

Turn on think there's anything super surprising remember that Disney has been dealing with this is a global company since the survivors appeared in a little while longer than before they are there an initial projections were about 1690 by the end of 2024 there almost there so I think they're going to really push towards the future we can do a lot of you now saying now.

This is a 500 years.

This is something that hit them after their biggest you ever I think you know it should be noted that it's not like people selling the company out of nowhere people were not going to shut down because of this crisis.

Professors like you around the country, but having young people approach them virtually I guess now and ask them who they should apply to for a job.

Where should they be setting their CVs should baby networking with I mean.

It's just an impossible scenarios now.

Isn't it? All the time? You just don't know who might be looking for somebody to hire in because one of the staff is able to perform but I think that's probably because it's not going very quickly and it's going to be.

They are honest and used because it is so important in what's happening? Is that the importance of this profession is established more than ever so I put some fellas coming over track as well.

Let's change channel to Channel 4 who is offered out the use of their in-house creative team to make adverts for free basically offering the services of award-winning team behind memorable.

Fantastic me to meet the Superhumans Paralympics Paralympics promotion services up to the value of £20,000 and I presume keep some of the creative team in gainful employment because they probably not very busy right now which brands really are going to want to use pre-existing footage or an in-house creative team for a channel.

You know when they used to a world of agencies in creating their own.

Copy iPhone I mean when you see the advert on at the moment that they're already going for home and watched the attraction of a timer for 15:30.

Between BT and telling you how to do tech which is quite funny sometimes.

I was thinking of you wear hearing all of the major broadcasters very quick look zoom conference calls that we're saying on television and I think the soup I think that will be reflected in advertising content and I think ultimately themselves companies like supermarkets will have to turn to some bigger ideas advertising break looking like over in the States at the

How is lockdown affected the commercial people see people about getting through this together pretty much everything from the paper companies to pharmacies like it.

Is it has this feeling of you went from selling you something to talking to you more about like what are companies are doing to get through this crisis is Leeds from the time, but it's funny because like the other people.

Would you just changed my shift, but that's what I've seen this kind of message for selling something later living alone over the next 3-months as part of the covid-19 information campaign you think it's the right decision for them to target print it seems to be at the expense perhaps of other advertising.

I'm not sure that you can use papers and that is a good thing but who's buying a newspaper who's going out and getting a physical newspaper.

We've been told don't go out and buy the essentials.

That's true and newspaper circulation has suffered significantly as a result of what we're going through right now, but I don't think it's just I mean I have spoken about the fact that the government is spending more money with them and that is a good thing particularly at a time when it's advertising revenues in the last couple of months and 150 million government spending money with these broadcasters is important right now.

All done something different but we've seen with Steph McGovern lunchtime Channel 4 show for example launched from her home during lockdown unit one month into that and she's basically said looking after my house back.

Let's do this we can get a studio 160000 as a day rate and people tend to streaming as well Jake which is something.

I was talking about as well wasn't that and the TV thing you know in Peak time more and more people doing video on demand program that it was showing on television, but the long-term strategy is now starting to become clear as need to move away from this reactive content and be giving viewers.

Things that are more used to be more ambitious shows because ultimately if they don't they will lose out to the streamers and that's what I was talking about the time when broadcast it's going to be showing more repeats because they haven't been able to make the shows that they want to make ambition has to be raised when things start Returned and otherwise twin on in the news Channel 4.

Not being like me let's talk about some of the content people are choosing to stream now, because it's not just the big Netflix Amazon Prime style box sets anymore.

It's also free Hollywood's finest isn't it? It's the huge movies that were going to debut in the cinemas.

That are now being available to rent and it was trolls that really blaze the trail for that covered the most in 2020 would be trolls world tour right now because the last month they were playing in 1-minute and things like that.

They were going to give it to PVR premium and they mean by saying that was supposed to you before he was going to play day and date which means in theatres and

Andy drop down but it's been a big success for that.

I mean they were the it was reported earlier this week that they brought in close to 190 rental fees which is very good for that, but let's have some caveats are people are Stockholm I would watch you know Dwayne The Rock Johnson phone book at this point in time what happened was in that were nbcuniversal went out of his way to say you know that he was incredibly proud of how it all kind of town and had his very interesting quote and which he said that he was our remarks about movies once things reopened and format the world's largest Theatre chain.

He said we will never we are burning universal movies even when we reopen that means everything from Fast and Furious

Playing Jurassic World movies about what does the experience in the Africa business book like this and figure out? How are movie theatres going to play how we going to watch movies is there a market for watching TV and films that normally would be in theatres at home and you pl I want to because if you're making a movie available to rent through streaming only services you get to keep more revenue of the total money that comes in because you're not paying for the overhead to the cinema and the distribution and the obvious that stuff but at the same time my understanding is you sort of do you know trolls is the exception to the rule that record box office opening weekend to get your money back on some of these massive 100000000 budget titles.

Absolutely essential to a movie success that you continue to show in cinemas.

I think this is a fascinating spat which cuts to the heart of the future of cinema that you see it's like this flower in such a popular way and to see how I think it's probably going on here if AMC continues with this song's it won't be able to carry James Bond here in the UK and I just can't conceive of the scenario where ODEON is not showing James Bond when it's released later this year about 80% the theatres take about 50% So she knows it doesn't have a tonne of leverage right now because these videos can eventually just go.

Put everything on his dream, but it's same time the studio the type of money that you can get from a global release you have a member of 1.2 billion close to that and now it's going to be a while to tell me where this movie is streaming where you can buy how much you can buy heets in to the home video money as well because if you're renting a quote for $20.20 American dollars, then you're not going to then buy it again.

You're going to be seen at home.

You know you can make money from the theatre and then if you like the movie enough you buy when you're home for the kind of stupid chicken chicken going on right now which is easy to do because there's no movies playing and there's no theatres open.

6-months from November around the world that were actually going to see if the rubber meets the road that we've had 100 years of being brainwashed about the Cinematic experience you know and I sort of feel like imagine a scenario that Jake says he can't wear James Bond isn't available in my local is available in the local Vue Cinema added is also available to stream at home.

I go to the cinema to watch it because it's a massive movie and I've been trained whatever equipment.

I've got at home the best experience is going to be in the cinema with other people with the sound system and everything else.

It's the same we don't want to have face-to-face.

Delivery is not just an entertainment.

What could be late? I think it's very odd that they are behaving in this public relation between the major Hollywood Studios to co-ordinate schedules one Cinemas do we open because it's going to be I guess the government's decision.

I know there is state-by-state decisions George is already open some of it's movie time in basically.

It needs every state in America is ok.

We are opening again and then it's sort of needs all the speakers to get together doesn't say yes with we're doing this we are going to back the idea that people go to the

The CR film because there is a health risk as a public health risk to do that are people going to want to go to the theatre and potentially next two people in the dark for 2-hours who are coughing or sneezing or anything like that.

I think we're here again.

This is the best destination I can make I think they were going to head to is a reopening a limited capacity you can't have been potentially having to wear a mask you find nappy City next 6 seats between people and since like the movies are rolling out very limited we can get to appoint saying July when it comes out where you have a situation or Regal Theatre or silver of the year is playing just tenant in SE10 of their screens while the other five screens are being deeply clean that potentially could.

Where do that works whether people return is a debatable on something that will have to see as time goes on but I don't think that the movie business in the movie theatre business can work without the studios and even more kind of ridiculous right now, but you know it I explain the AMC universal split as like a couple from publicly fights in three weeks later back together.

There's always a silver lining return of the drive-in movie theatre as well as kind of coming back because I think you know it might not be as big as it was saying you know 1995 or something like that, but I think people are still going to want to have a way to go out and experience to movies.

People that there's a difference between watching you know a game on television and watching a sporting event in person.

It's going to be different.

It's going to have to be more about the experience more about the Royalty and I think we're going to have to figure out how to figure out the theatrical window so that we don't have to wait 90 days to see a new movie come out and I think the big Blockbusters like James Bond in Fast and Furious all these are going to play in theatres first and then we'll see how long it takes for them to actually go to ditch.

Oh ok well.

You don't have to wait 90 days for part two of them will be back with more media news after that firstly is Frank and Jake are still with me.

Let's talk about x Radio now.

They have announced another after Talent will be joining the DAB network this summer Jake what do you make of the lineup as Mum is going to be cold?

Breakfast with Stig Abell John pienaar's on drive time we knew that already but Cathy Newman from Channel 4 news is going to be doing drive on Friday what do you think an impressive? Presenters will be really interesting to see what happens when it launches later this summer.

I'm still a lot of language around it taking on the BBC and being the rivals Radio 4 and I'm with Matt Deegan the regular when he says that beating the BBC is the president of the measure of success and it's going to fail and singularly fail, but if it wants if it's got lower if it's got more modest ambitions to megaphone for the Times journalism and to increase subscriptions to the times, then it could serve a really useful purpose.

Franco quote from that vegans blog is this week for taking on Radio 4 end up being the core aim of x radio the strategy is officially batshit mental agree disagree with major media and it's absolutely great people and give a false predictions in the you haven't done all your market research when you feel very very different from the radio station is it would have to compliment you have to have some people migrating from.

I don't know why I can't see them going to this radio station and I can't believe me GMTV we had very nearly over positive thoughts transfer from TV what new people who take on all of the good things that we could do and then we had help because the market to Channel 4 breakfast and tell me about Virgin Radio

I don't want to sound a little confused is it the Barclay channel or is it in its own right but these presenters that they've announced actually have columns in the times that maybe they will in due course, but there were people that they could have put right front centre of this myself.

David could have had Giles Coren they could have had Caitlin Moran they haven't gone with those names that go with experience more experienced radio name a reason why there's more established on a regular basis.

I mean from your position in the US does it seem kind of amusing but we're being a bit jealous about the idea of anyone on the BBC I mean over there in the US you know the idea of a newspaper the New York Times want to launch its own radio station.

It would seem like an obvious and straightforward thing to do sky subscribers.

He won't be thinking what can they be the biggest it would be like.

Create a new entrant.

That's just me being is the Times itself.

It's been framed in this way about the new presenters and use language like they haven't announced yet, but it seems to me you are an obvious part of the puzzle as they actually launched the station in the summer are Radio 4 type commissions you know sort of half hour returning series coming in at the moment.

There's just seems like an upmarket to radio, but it's obviously not going to be just that and then they obviously are going for Radio 4 audio.

Model if it's just a moment because the BBC offering their news bulletins to Commercial rivals who might be struggling with production during the pandemic commercial stations are going to be queuing up to take BBC bulletin for the BBC to have made this suggestion for this and that some of its local services could be at risk during coronavirus that has transpired and it has confidence in that is producing to to make this offer to.

Radio stations, I think it's part of the sort of good feeling about the BBC at the moment that it's providing his public services plugging gaps where commercial operators might be struggling and is providing service to local audiences whether this relationship with them continue once we're out of the quarantine times.

I mean at the moment particularly for community radio stations that either a run by volunteers or third everybody it makes sense to take a BBC News Bulletin what point do you say right? We need to start producing our own again and we put our own expense into that is it something that the publicly funded broadcasted should be dropping out.

Is it good day after the BBC where does it end relationship between radio stations in the relationship? We have been approached by a number of stations.

Which stations do they are we don't know if there is genuinely demand? This is making an offer which makes the BBC radio station do I think this is a little bit odd and is going on in the future seemed to me to be something that the commercial local radio station.

Commercial organisations supporting school by announcing some big celebrity names fronting educational content on the Bitesize portion of their website so he's a big names over here in the UK Frank like to David Attenborough and Professor Brian Cox got Ed Balls former labour Chancellor doing maths lessons.

Do you think this is a celebrities doing their beard or do you think there will be a backlash in the calendar? This is the same in Hollywood as it is over here in the UK so just constantly feeling themselves at home looking a little bit needy and it comes a point way as a view of yourself.

I put it away like.

While this new world and how that kind of work out which celebrity just basically see what they want you even now.

You know I've been telling people one of the most fun games.

I've been doing what you looking in celebrity.

What is behind and what kind of books they read in bookshelves and things of that nature so I think initially celebrities had some backlash because they just they were trying to react in a way that would be but then as soon as this kind of became more and more a new kind of Way of Life du vieux seen celebrities night shows in in America you know people like Stephen Colbert

Kind of a rough and tumble type of situation, but as it's gone it's really something like in America originally had last week was one of the best shows the head all season so I think celebrities are trying to figure it out and I think that what you were saying about the Education I think it's really something that could actually be beneficial to celebrities and how they perceive in public going forward as the time is part of the cynicism around it.

There is no joke.

I mean to an eight-year-old.

It doesn't matter whether it's a really good maths teacher teaching your mouth sore eyeballs matters to the media the reporting on the fact that people are doing it to drive people go to the website to check it out.

Do you think they should be using their big names in that way?

Old might not I think it's probably more that the parents and a tool to get the parents to engage their children with what's going on in the Bitesize videos and it's a real public service.

It's the BBC doing what it does best and and yeah should be providing educational tools for children when schools are closed.

Please.

Do you think the right decisions are too kind of silo it off on the website? You know his educational stuff and basically keep CBeebies and CBBC dedicated to entertainment and obviously there's educational.

But it's not up your lesson and the school and actually getting materials for children in packs that they can they can utilise and recognising so many of your children finally on the BBC can we talk about their 50/50 gender parity project you've been doing it is about female contributors on unused programs.

Is it actual programs much more recent that we've been doing them women projects 2012.

What is a 50/50 gender representation on programs, but it is very different women on screen just as you've been away players people that the program so that they have to do they have to put on very different in the significance of the expert.

But you also need to look at what they are and it's not really ok.

Let's talk of the tabloids next because the Duke and Duchess of Sussex how did for British titles their own version of a Dear John letter last week this was the score in the Daily Mail the mirror and The Express and pretty unprecedented isn't it in the UK for members of the Royal family to take such a formative action against the tabloids total I fully respect their Desire for privacy particularly given that there now independent of the public purse, but there was something a little bit chilling about this letter and I think the bottom line is I don't think it will make the blind bit of difference either journalists will keep calling them and keep asking them about store.

And the question is it the best attitude to so-called fake news they calling it take you to ignore fake news or allegations that have been put to you and then not taking up you have a policy of zero engagement from their people which means that they can't deny things that they might want on record run through the city calling and I mean they're saying that they'll deal with journalists as well and the other thing about that.

They keep saying that it's a deluge of fake news, but the song has been on the money with some of the big stories about their personal affairs in the last seems like we are going to leave the royal family.

They've got it right so maybe I'm sure there is a lot of nastiness and ill-informed inaccurate report about Harry and Meghan absolutely some sunshine Sachs which is the prl fit with employed in the States to represent their affairs now that they no longer represented by the palace.

It's very notable and is very interesting because when you think of you think of celebrities and it just kind of shows the Dead that transformation I guess you could call it from the Royal celebrity to be in celebrity celeb is carried away list on the side.

What do you make a Harry following Megan into TV is going to be introducing an episode of Thomas the Tank Engine

It's always been a lot of attention around the royal family that is always been the case but the seats are there hasn't been around since the days of royal more celebrity type more attention.

I mean there was that video that was shown I think it was quite last year where talking about Megan you know that we see the Voice work out and it's really quite interesting and I think that it just kind of them or fourth in the American culture, because now it's less you know focused than that is this is a couple for a royal family from a different country.

They become a little bit more americanized.

Piss off Fleet Street more because we are going to continue to report on the mother with the corporation or it's the Queen's people.

I imagine that have spent the last 30 years and delicate relationship where the tabloids can report in a certain way about Harry and Wills near schooling and his time in the army and all the stuffing and they just turned and said everything right that was a lie bad experiences.

Why they behave like they have.

websites for the media could give us some good news regarding the Jewish Chronicle which has closed a few weeks to buy it, but they aren't going to have to the chronicle is something that the oldest people in the UK

There is just time you'll be pleased to know all of you to play our legendary Media quiz today we play HBO or no.

I had to get another premium subscription streaming service HBO Max coming to American screens on May 27th.

We've been given a tease of what new programming.

We might expect to be available on Sky here in the UK so can you give me the title and premise of an original programming premiering on HBO Max in May you just have to tell me if it's genuine or if we made it up.

OK is the following HBO or no a kids craft competition called craftopia hosted by YouTuber law diy amazing Creations for the chance to win $5,000 programme number to HBO or no a scripted comedy called happy wife happy life starring Anna Faris and Terry Crews

Please 50 by Jake and Izzy are correct.

That is no that was made up and it was inspired by the new Anna Kendrick vehicle love life programme number 38 no an underground ballroom dance competition series called legendary Jake Jake correct this controversy over the role of Jameela Jamil with play but the trailer promises production values and the shiniest floor ever and finally the Unscripted reunion of the cast of Friends HBO on now and you to arrive later in the year once cast and crew allowed to be in the same room together again now.

I know Frankfurt CNN is part of the same conglomerate but do you think it's going to be a program as they reckon it's going to be like friends if they started making friends again obviously huge, but the reunion where they sit around and say wasn't great.

I don't know if I need to see that.

I'm saying this because

I work for a company that is making a 100% that's going to be a hit because friends is just be thing on streaming people love friends.

Just to get her for that actually I guess a lot of this.

Thanks for the deal.

They have with Sky is going to be coming to people that have Sky Q for free or not for more on top of their character description.

They will have to get another one x really well.

I think the friends reunion not happening because the coronavirus is a real shame because it would have acted as a big launch for people to come and check out the service and obviously it's not going to happen now.

I mean you can't really get a better time of streaming.

Everyone lockdown in my house.

I mean they are giving themselves the best possible opportunity a TV that I would watch the friends reunion when you can go because it doesn't exist yet and congratulations on winning requires.

Thanks to Frank J cancer and is hywel and thank you to you you can catch up with previous episodes and get new ones as soon as they're released by subscribing for free on our website vmedia podcast.com you might fancy taking out a voluntary subscription to hell is going on media podcast.com / donate and choose a voluntary donation that suits you would be ever so grateful girl.

I can only man the produce of Rebecca Drysdale Sherry the media.

What is a PPM production and until next time bye bye?